A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Monday, April 8, 2013  Chickies Rock overlook and the Susquehanna River Yesterday we had a warm spring day and late yesterday afternoon we took a walk out to the Chickies Rock.  Listen to this message on your audio player."We Are In Good Hands!" "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save" (Isaiah 59:1). "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3,4).  For many years Allstate Insurance Company has advertised with a slogan, "You're in good hands with Allstate." They're now running a series of ads that end with the question, "Can you afford not to be in good hands?"We think that's a good question to ponder, not just the kind of insurance you might purchase, but even more so in regard to whom we entrust our spiritual and eternal destiny. Our first daily text states, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save." What peace that verse provides regarding anything we might be dealing with today. But regarding insurance let us consider a portion of today's Bible text that describes our inheritance as God's children. It is "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you." I'm thankful for the inheritance I received from my parents. They were by no means rich; my dad was a pipefitter, my mom a homemaker. Yet through the years they accumulated some assets and passed them on equally to their four children. However I am even more thankful for the love and faith they passed onto us along with their example of living life responsibly. My dad was a hard worker and heeded well the Biblical teaching of providing for his family. Brooksyne was equally blessed which has brought about many conversations, over the years of our marriage, where we have expressed thanks to God for such an upbringing. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Peter begins his first letter with this beautiful exclamation of praise to Almighty God. "In His great mercy." This phrase "great mercy" is found throughout Scripture and is such a blessing! "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression" (Numbers 14:18). "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy" (Psalm 145:8). Peter lists two gifts from God that are rich blessings to every believer that are a result of His great mercy toward us: 1) "He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." We have "new birth into a living hope..." That's our present standing, brothers and sisters! Peter wrote the letter to encourage believers who were undergoing trials and persecution under Emperor Nero. This reminder of their present standing with God must have been encouraging to these persecuted believers and it should be to us as well. 2) "And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you." In the same sentence Peter reminds these dedicated believers of a future blessing yet to be rewarded. The Jews looked forward to an inheritance in the promised land of Canaan. But Christians now anticipate a family inheritance in the eternal city of God that cannot be tainted by sin, depleted of essentials, and has no expiration date. This eternal inheritance is for every believer and "can never perish, spoil, or fade." These three words indicate permanence and continuance. There's no threat of being overthrown by another country, as was often the case in the Bible, and is true also today. This inheritance is "kept in heaven for you." The word used for kept has the sense "to guard by keeping the eye upon." We can rest assured that our future inheritance is in good hands and cannot be tampered with. Today, being mindful of both our present standing and our future inheritance in Christ, may we "therefore, prepare our minds for action; be self-controlled; setting our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:13). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we thank You for making us joint heirs together with the family of believers in this wonderful eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for us. We claim this future inheritance and await the appointed date when we will experience in full the blessings it provides for us. Troubles in this life diminish our hope, but rejoicing in the life yet to be revealed gives us a living hope! Help us to fix our present hope on the future return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen. Larry and Tina, friends from Bethlehem PA, joined us for our breakfast Saturday morning for buttermilk waffles and maple syrup, eggs and bacon.  I am blessed by a number of friends who have skills I don't! This weekend Chris Bert came over to get my lawn mowers ready for the season and sharpen the blades. He had quite a time getting the blades off to sharpen them but was persistent!  Yesterday following our church service we visited with our friends Paul and Violet Simmons who just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Paul shared with us, "God has given me a good wife." "Marriage should be honored by all" (Hebrews 13:4).  This afternoon my friend Mike Fisher stopped by so I did the best I could with Brooksyne out and fixed him a sandwich and some Utz potato chips. We got a chuckle out of this cross-shaped chip!  Here's another photo of the Chickies Rock overlook taken using the panoramic view in my camera. The rock is on a bluff over 500 feet above the River. Here is a larger photo. Chickies Ridge article. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Precious Lord Take My Hand" Video Jason Crabb and Angela Primm Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" Video The Grascals "Then Came The Morning" Video Ernie Haas and Signature Sound "When They Found Nothing" Video Legacy Five "O What A Savior" Video Larry Ford Last week we shared a series of messages on the resurrection. A reader sent me this video message about an astounding work of art by Ron DiCianni. "Good Hands" ad by Allstate Insurance referred to in the message Video |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 4/7/13: $4,925.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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